La Gomera hit by storm's torrential rain, see videos

 

Storm Therese (see previous posts HERE) caused lots of disruption and damage all over the Canary Islands during it's week-long life as one of the longest-lasting low pressure systems to affect the archipelago. There were well over 2.200 incidents reported, but thankfully all passed without any major injuries, but it did cause a lot of distress and material losses.

 

Yesterday, which was the final day of the dying storm, it was La Gomera's turn to be hit by torrential downpours. The worst affected areas were Alajero and Valle Gran Rey in the island's south and south-west, respectively. In Guada, the upper Valle Gran Rey, the island government's weather station reported over 105mm of precipitation and most of that came down in less than two hours. This caused numerous waterfalls, landslides and rockfalls and the barranco in the bottom of the valley became a raging torrent in a short time. Roads were impassable and the only road in and out of Valle Gran Rey had to be closed due to the amount of rocks and debris.One of the roads to Alajero was also closed as was the road along the coast in VGR and other minor roads in various parts of the island. Damage to properties, vehicles and infrastructure will take some time to fix, but miraculously there were no injuries.

The island's government declared an emergency and troops from the military emergency unit UME arrived by ferry to help with the clean-up operations. As many locals and tourists were left stranded with some having to catch flights in Tenerife, extra sailings by 'Benchi Express' ferry, which connects Valle Gran Rey and Alajero with the island's capital, were scheduled to facilitate arrivals and departures. As I write the clean-up continues and having previously experienced similar incidents I am confident that soon normality will return. Storm Therese has had it's final word and now is history and will be remembered for a long time. The weather for the coming days should be fairly good with the usual trade winds returning and very little rain, if any, expected.

I leave you with a warning. During the next few days caution is still advised because when the sun heats up, dries and expands loosened rocks and debris, rockfalls and landslides can be expected. 

Below a dramatic video of part of a restaurant collapsing in Gran Canaria after a landslide a couple of days ago. Thankfully there was no one in it there at the time:

 

Storm Therese ''hasn't spoken the last word yet'' after hundreds of incidents all over the Canary Islands

The road to Erque and Erquito in La Gomera, badly damaged during storm Therese (Image: rtvc.es)

A 15 ton boulder blocking a road in Gran Canaria yesterday (Image: canarias7.es)

Storm Therese (see previous post) in Valle Gran Rey, La Gomera

Update Sunday March 22nd, 9pm: 

Upgrade of the rain warning for La Gomera for tomorrow, Monday March 23rd 2026, to level orange for locally very heavy rain and showers from 3pm until midnight with up to 30mm in just one hour possible.

Additional status yellow warning of thunderstorms valid from 10pm tonight until midnight tomorrow. The same upgraded warnings have been issued for the southern half of Tenerife and El Hierro island.

Update Monday morning March 23rd 2026:

Yet another update. The low is now almost over the Canary islands at around 1001hPa and the situation is very difficult to predict, as the dying system will be over or very close to the archipelago for a couple of days more. AEMET has dropped the t-storm warnings even though their prediction shows isolated thunderstorms over the islands, which may well happen. They've also issued an additional orange level rain warning for La Gomera, valid from 10am until 3pm today, when the previous orange warning for same will kick in until midnight. Tuesday then remains under a status yellow warning for heavy showers and now another additional yellow warning for same has been issued for Wednesday, valid until noon. San Sebastian de La Gomera had very heavy rain last night around 2am, when a whopping 47,5mm fell in a short time, while the rest of the island had very little rain. That's how unpredictable the situation is at this stage of a low pressure system that is lasting about a week(!) until it has finally completely dissipated on Thursday.

See next post HERE...

Storm 'Therese' will affect Canary Islands for days

Rain in San Sebastian de La Gomera recently 

Yet another low pressure system is beginning to form north of the Canary Islands and has been named 'Therese'. This depression comes after an unusually cold winter which on the positive side has brought copious rainfalls after several years of drought.

Storm Therese's exact track is still a bit uncertain, but it will most likely affect the Canarian archipelago from Tuesday afternoon, March 17th 2025, and could last until early next week. Usually storms last a day or two but this depression is very slow-moving and long-lasting. Some models suggest it could be right over these islands on Sunday or Monday while beginning fo fill, but that is too far ahead for a reliable forecast.

Anyway it is best to be prepared for intense rainfalls, resulting rockfalls, gusty high winds (predominantly westerly), thunderstorms, very high waves with rough seas and colder than normal temperatures with snow on the highest peaks. At least some disruption can be expected and a few larger events like the 'Tecnologica' festival in Tenerife have already been postponed.

It is expected that several official alerts and warnings will be issued once more detail is known, but it definitely won't be hiking nor beach weather for several days.

You have been warned...

Update March 17th 2026:

The depression is now expected to be situated just W-NW of Madeira on Thursday with a pressure of around 982 hPa. The first warnings for Thursday (below) have been issued by the Spanish meteorological service (aemet.es click this for their latest updates), and further warnings are expected for the following days.

Update March 18th:

Storm Therese is beginning to make its presence felt with La Gomera's Alto de Igualero weather station recording a gust of 108 km/h this morning and rain reported all over the island. The worst is yet to come and La Gomera's island government activated their emergency plan. All walks, trails, paths and all public recreational amenities have been closed. Schools, universities, etc., will close later today for the remainder of the week in all Canary Islands and the public have been advised to avoid unnecessary travel and outdoor activities over the coming days. The Spanish meteorological service Aemet has also issued a special advisory for the Canary islands which states that the adverse weather will continue ''at least'' until Sunday, and looking at the latest weather models I'd say  Monday at least. Below are the extended official Aemet warnings for Friday, but these may change as the situation develops (ed. they did change and I replaced the previously posted ones with the new ones):

Update March 19th, 00:30 am :

The warnings below for Saturday have just been issued:

Update March 19th, 9am:

There are now two more lows near the centre which will be absorbed, with several fronts yet to arrive in the Canaries. Below the OPC chart and the latest satellite image of this impressive system:

IMPORTANT UPDATE lunchtime 19-03-2026:

The AEMET warnings for Friday and Saturday have been upgraded, esp. for La Gomera, with higher orange level warnings for wind and rain. Precipitation tomorrow may be as much as 100mm in 12 hours. I have replaced the previously posted warnings above with the latest ones.

FUTHER UPDATES HERE... in the post published on Sunday 22nnd of March 2026

Rainy New Year('s)

A healthy, happy and peaceful 2026 to all who read this blog !

2026 is forecast to start with unsettled weather as storm system Francis west of the Iberian Peninsula is going to affect the Canary Islands. Strong winds, cooler temperatures and rainy spells which may be prolonged, heavy and accompanied by thunderstorms, are expected on New Year's Day. The Spanish meteorological service AEMET has issued warnings for the above. The weather for the following days remains unsettled, but gradually improving. Keep informed by checking AEMET (click). 

The locals will be very happy with the badly needed rain and will see it as a good sign for 2026.

HAPPY NEW YEAR !

Severe weather alert for Canaries this weekend

Archive image

Storm 'Emilia' will bring very unsettled conditions to the Canary Islands this weekend with very rough seas, unusually high waves and swell, intense rainfalls, thunderstorms and very strong northerly winds predicted, all accompanied by a marked drop in temperatures which could even result in snow falling in the mountains above 1800 metres. Numerous weather warnings have been issued and local governments have activated their emergency plans as a precaution, while the Canary Islands' directorate for emergencies has issued a maximum alert with all events postponed or cancelled. In La Gomera all hiking paths and walks as well as all facilities in Garajonay national park have been closed. Avoid unnecessary outdoor activities and travel. See weather alerts by AEMET here...

The warnings are in force from this Friday afternoon, Dec. 12th 2025, until Sunday lunchtime, but be aware that even when low Emilia has passed and warnings have been lifted, the danger of rockfalls persists for some time, especially in the mountainous terrain of La Gomera.

Updated weather warnings issued for Canary Islands

An additional status orange warning of very heavy downpours, thunderstorms and strong winds has been issued for the western Canary Islands a bit earlier today November 12th 2025 by the Spanish meteorological agency. In La Gomera the island's government has activated its emergency plan and asks to avoid travel and to stay away from all hiking trails, walks and unpaved forestry tracks. Ravines, valley floors and low lying areas should also be avoided due to the risk of flash flooding as rain accumulations of up to 30mm in just one hour can be expected.. Same applies to the other western Canary Islands of Tenerife, La Palma and El Hierro. The warnings are valid from lunchtime today until tomorrow afternoon. Status yellow warnings of thunderstorms and wind have also been issued. A heavy swell with large waves can als be expected. Gran Canaria will be under similar warnings tomorrow only while Fuerteventura and Lanzarote will come under yellow warning (see image above). Go to the Spanish meteorological service's (AEMET) official website in English for further detail.

All this is due to a large area of low pressure, presently around 980 hPa, situated NNW of the Canary Islands and off the WNW of the Iberian peninsula, named storm Claudia.

Please be aware that there is a high risk of rockfalls, which will remain for a couple of days once the rain has cleared away and the sun heats up the wet mountainsides.

Warning of heavy rains in western Canary Islands

A status orange warning of very heavy downpours, thunderstorms and strong winds has been issued for the western Canary Islands today June 7th 2023 by the Spanish meteorological agency. In La Gomera the island's government has activated its emergency plan and all hiking trails, walks and unpaved forestry tracks have been officially closed for today.

Yesterday some significant rainfalls were already recorded in many parts of La Gomera and today even heavier rain with accumulations of up to 20mm in just one hour and 12-hour totals of up to 60mm may be expected. There's also a warning of westerly winds blowing in excess of 70 km/h in exposed areas and  thunderstorm activity.

All this is due to a complex area of low pressure, presently around 994 hPa, situated NW of the Canary Islands and named storm Oscar.

Please be aware that there is a high risk of rockfalls, which will remain for a couple of days once the storm has cleared away and the sun heats up the wet mountainsides.

Rough seas this weekend

Warnings have been issued of a strong swell and high waves to affect the Canary Islands. For La Gomera a level yellow warning of waves of 4-5 metres begins on Saturday, Nov. 17th 2018, at 6pm and extends until early Monday morning. An additional level orange warning of waves of 5-6 metres is valid from 9pm Saturday until Sunday afternoon 3pm. The swell is coming from a north-westerly direction and it is advisable to stay away from exposed coasts. Please be aware that the rough seas may disrupt ferry schedules and cruise ship itineraries.

Gloomy sky

The sky just before 8 am this morning. There was a lot of  lightning and some thunder in the early hours. See previous post.

...and this image was taken about 15 minutes later

Severe weather alerts Nov. 25th and 26th 2017

Latest water vapour satellite image.

A vigorous Atlantic depression of about 1000hPa has formed WNW of the Canary Islands and is slowly moving closer, while a large anticyclone is almost stationary over North Africa. The resulting southerly airstream is drawing subtropical and very humid air from near the Cape Verde Islands. Current models and predictions are for heavy showers and at times persistent precipitation to affect the western Canary Islands, including La Gomera, and for gale force southerly winds. Thunderstorms can also be expected as the very active cold fronts associated with the low pressure system clash with the warm subtropical air. The Spanish meteorological service has issued 'yellow' wind and rain warnings for La Gomera and even status 'orange' warnings for the islands of La Palma and El Hierro, all warnings valid from midnight tonight until Sunday night. (see 'Weather' on top sidebar, which I will try to keep updated regularly). An 'orange' rainfall warning for La Gomera has been added for the first half of Sunday, with amounts of up to 30 mm in one hour and 100 mm over the 12 hour period of this additional warning. A 'yellow' warning of thunderstorms for Saturday and Sunday over La Gomera was also just issued. For Tenerife 'yellow' warnings for wind have will be activated for Sat. and Sun. and a 'yellow' rainfall warning just for Sunday.

The whole situation is a bit difficult to predict as the high pressure over North Africa may

ultimately decide who gets what, if anything, in the Canaries. 

Alerta Maxima (click)

But you have been warned...
Rockfalls and landslides can be expected, especially with rain combined with strong winds after the prolonged drought. Roads may also be slippery when the dust dissolves during the first rainfalls. Be extremely cautious and avoid unnecessary journeys, walks, etc....
Update: The government of the Canary Islands has increased the alert level to the highest (Alerta Maxima) for rainfalls on the islands of El Hierro, La Palma, and La Gomera from midnight tonight until further notice. Emergency crews will be on standby and other measures, like the closure of the path from
Valle Gran Rey under the cliff to Argaga, have been taken.
+ UPDATE: Alert cancelation see 'Weather' on sidebar

Wind and wave warnings

It is going to be very windy until about noon on Tuesday, 14th of March 2017. The Spanish meteorological service has issued several warnings of gale force northerly winds gusting to 90 km/h or more, especially on Monday (level 'orange warning). Further warnings have been issued of rough seas with combined swell and wind-driven waves to reach four to five  metres on exposed coastal stretches. Be very cautious on roads, secure that garden furniture, etc., and stay away from exposed areas !